London mayor Boris Johnson and French president Nicolas Sarkozy should be rejoicing: apparently, their exhortations to shop, shop, shop have not fallen on deaf ears after all. Women’s apparel sales fell 6 per cent to $15bn in the US during the first nine months of 2008 but, according to the High Net Worth report from market research agency Ledbury Research, men’s wear sales rose 1 per cent to $4bn. Apparently, when the going gets tough, the tough male ... buys clothes.

Tom Ford

This is spending that runs counter to what might be expected in a time of rising unemployment and curtailed bonuses. Men’s wear designers, tailors and retailers, in a mood of cautious optimism, tell of unexpectedly positive results.

“We’re pleased and happy,” says Tom Ford, who launched his men’s wear-only line (strong-shouldered, high-priced suits sold in stores that feel like private houses) in April 2007, towards the tail end of the economic boom. “We’re holding up well because our clothes are perceived as investments.”

“Men are loyal and tend to shop in a planned-out way,” continues Ford. “Women move from brand to brand depending on who has done a particular trend. Men go into a store and they will spend more money because they’ll buy for the whole season. They don’t look at shopping as a recreation the way women do.” A downturn, after all, makes the retail game much less fun. It should also be remembered that men still earn substantially more than women: UK government figures released in November 2008 put male full-time earnings at 17.1 per cent higher than women’s. So female shoppers feel the pinch first.

“We’ve had 20 new clients in the past four weeks,” says Anda Rowland, owner of bespoke tailors Anderson & Sheppard. “That may not sound much, but for us it’s very strong, and a pleasant surprise. A good percentage are first-time bespoke buyers, and most are between 35 and 50. Hopefully they’ll be with us for a long while.” Rowland says that at least 60 per cent of the new clients are UK-based, so the increase isn’t just due to foreigners taking advantage of the weakened pound.

E. Tautz, the diffusion line from Norton & Sons

Other tailors tell similar stories. Huntsman, the oldest tailor on the Row, is 12 per cent up on sales so far in 2009. They point to dissatisfaction with the mass luxury market and a desire for quality as reasons for the upswing. In February, Norton & Sons had its best month since current owner Patrick Grant took over the then-dormant house in 2005. “There are times for exuberance in fashion and times for quiet elegance,” he says, “and I think right now the latter seems more appropriate. Savile Row excels at simple, understated style and enduring value, both of which I think are enormously relevant today.”

There are other signs of green shoots in the men’s wear luxury business. Ralph Lauren is about to launch its first range of watches, all using mechanical movements (unlike most other fashion brands); the cheapest, a steel chronograph, will cost £5,450. Berluti’s sales of high-end shoes for 2009 are so far said to be above those for 2008. And, at US department store Neiman Marcus, one of the biggest beauty stories of last year was a men’s-only grooming line called Alford & Hoff, which has been so successful it is now sold in both the men’s and women’s departments, so women can buy it for their partners. It’s bestselling item is a $155 serum that, when it launches at Space NK in the UK this month, will cost £140. “If a product works for a man, he will spend the money,” says Barry Alford, co-founder of the brand with Jefferson Hoffman.

Indeed, many in the men’s wear business see the downturn as a time of opportunity rather than retrenchment. “There is room for sustainable expansion in the men’s wear industry,” says Anna Zegna, image director of Ermenegildo Zegna. “The brands that are strong in this current climate should utilise the moment to gain market share.”

Berluti shoes

It is tempting to cast men’s wear as some sort of saviour of the fashion industry, but beware: even if men are spending money now, they are doing so in the same way that they have always done. “With men, it’s more about needs,” says Lucas Ossendrijver, the men’s wear designer for Lanvin’s increasingly influential and popular line. “If they buy something, it’s really because they need something.”

As a result, says Ossendrijver, “I don’t design a look, I design pieces. The pieces themselves should be special and should be able to carry the price. It’s not about a total outfit but the individual parts that make up a wardrobe.”

Men can be “schizophrenic” shoppers, according to Selfridges director of men’s wear, David Walker Smith.

“One week men will be cautious about buying suits, the next week they’ll come in and buy loads. It’s exciting as a business. It’s survival of the fittest.”

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Where to buy

www.tomford.com
www.anderson-sheppard.co.uk
www.h-huntsman.com
www.nortonandsons.co.uk
www.ralphlauren.com
www.berluti.com
www.alfordandhoff.com
www.neimanmarcus.com
www.spacenk.co.uk
www.zegna.com
www.lanvin.com